The invention relates to apparatus and methods for the secure dispensing of bank papers.
Apparatuses for the dispensing of bank papers in the form of banknotes are known as automatic teller machines (ATMs).
In DE OS 27 17 345, a dispenser is shown that assembles and dispenses banknotes from magazine stores. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,945,277, an autonomous teller apparatus is specified in which cards with magnetic strips are used to code the account to be debited and the maximum quantity of the amount respectively to be dispensed. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,675,816, an automatic teller machine is likewise specified in which the data of a machine-readable check are compared with the data of a magnetic card in order to permit a payment. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,956,615, an automatic teller machine is specified in which for each payment or transaction a communication takes place, via a data communication means, with a central authorization computer, which simultaneously authorizes and logs the payment. The disclosure of the patent documents are fully incorporated herein by reference.
All known arrangements have in common that the control means, the dispenser, also called the decollator, the reading apparatuses for documents or magnetic cards, etc., are housed in the interior of a protected housing or safe, so that no unauthorized access to it is possible. Of course, the control unit must thereby be protected by the safe as well, because otherwise it would be possible to manipulate the control circuit for the purpose of dispensing money without authorization. As long as the control unit is developed specifically for this purpose and is of low complexity and power, this does not represent a particular problem.
However, to the extent that commercially available personal computers, with correspondingly complex operating systems and programs with several megabytes of code, are used as control computers, security monitoring of the software is extremely expensive. In addition, the actual problem-free exchange of modules always entails an opening of the safe, which as a rule may take place only under specific supervision.